Furniture



A. J. GUSTAFSON.

FURNITURE.

APPUCATION FILED JUNE 24,1918- Patented July 20, 1920.

. Improvement in Furniture,

PATENT OFFICE.

UNlTED STATES AUGUST J. GUSTAFSON, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Auens'r J. Gns'rArsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Maywood, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to chairs and similar articles of furniture and also to braces or reinforces for strengthening chairs and other articles of furniture, the invention being capable of effective embodiment in numerous other connections, howeverfas will be apparent as it is better understood.

While the invention is capable of embodiinent in numerous forms, the form hereinafter selected for the purpose of illustration is particularly adapted for use in the manufacture of chairs and more particularly chairs of the character of dining-room chairs, these being selected for the reason that chairs of this character by reason of their use require exceptionally sturdy construction and reinforclng if they are long to receive the ordinary use to which such chairs I are subjected.

'A principal object of the invention is the provision of a brace for furniture and the like of simple and cheapconstruction and of durable and permanent efliciency. It is highly desirable that the parts of the piece of furniture be directly connected together both for appearance and to relieve the usual fastening devices and at the same time be strongly and additionally braced. To this end my invention contemplates the provision of braces in chairs and other articles of furniture, the parts of which braces will enter into and reinforce the parts of the wood actually forming the also form separate. auxiliary connections between such parts, and all of this without altering in any way the conventional and desirable appearance of the furniture and withoutthe attending evils either in the manufacture of the braces or in the manufacture and assembling of the chair parts.

A still further and highly important object of, this invention is theprovision. of a chair andparticularly the braces therefor so constructed and arrangedtha t the structuremay belsoldxin knocked down condition and put together with certain accuracy by the ordinary purchaser and without expert m'echanical training or skill and also without the 7 employment vof mechanics Specification of Letters Patent.

connections and will FURNITURE.

Patented July 20, 1920.

Application filed June 24, 1918. Serial No. 241,499.

trained in the art and without the use of tools of any character other than a screwdriver.

Another object and advantage of the in vention is the provision of a chair or other article of furniture and braces therefor which may be positioned without danger of splitting the material of the wooden parts, the fastening devices serving themselves to prevent such action.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of two legs of a chair and a connecting side rail;

Fig. 2 is a partial horizontal view taken just above the horizontal rails;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the rear or back braces; and

- Fig. 4 is a similar view of a front brace.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in diagrammatic fashion a chair having front legs 11, back legs 12, side horizontalrails 13, a front horizontal rail 14 and a rear horizontal rail 15. The rails are connected with the legs with the usual mortise and tenon connections consisting of tenons or tongues 16 and 17 on the ends of the rails entering into mortises 18 and 19. At each corner I provide a brace which forms a part of the connection between the rails and the leg which connects them and enters also into the connection to reinforce the connecting wooden parts. Since the strains on a dining-room chair are slightly different at the front than at the backthe braces provided at the front and at the back in the present instance differ in certain particulars, although it will be manifest that they can be used in other positions and in changed form.

Considering first the brace at the front, it will'be noted that there is a sheet metal plate generally indicated at 21, which embraces a part of the leg. It has a body part 22 resting against a face 23 provided by rabbeting the corner 24. At the side a wing or flange 25 extends upon the adjacent face of the leg and at the front is located a similar flange 26,

this last mentioned flange, however, terminating in an inturned lip 27 which enters.

I front braces are thus positionedon 34 and 35 are inserted 25 and 26 into the leg at right angles, these form wings 28 and 29, arranged at right angles with respect to each other and connected by a central portion 31 lying upon the V against the inner faces of the adjacent endsof the rails 14 and 13 when the parts are completely assembled.

Screws indicated at through the flanges screws being located in different planes, as indicated in Fig. 1, and an additional screw 36 is positioned through 'two contacting plates and into the material of theleg at an angle with the two screws 34: and 35." These screws tend to draw the-material tighter in the three directions they extend, so that each reinforces the 'material of the leg against splitting under the action of the other screws. During the assembling of the chairs the the 'leg and'the 'tenons 17 at the ends of the front rail and the tenons- 37 at front ends'of, the side rails are positioned in their respective mortises, the adjacent faces of the rail being recessed to receive the flanges '25- and 26-of the brace. Suitable screws 40 are then positioned through the wings 29 and .28 and into the side rails at the corners for completely and permanently assembling. The brace at the rear is also composed in the present instance of two sheet metal members indicated generally at 38 and 39. .The member 38 provides a'wing 41 adapted to lie along the inner face of the rear end of the adjacent side rail and is provided with an outstanding flange 42 having an opening 43 over the mor tise 44 for receiving the tenon of the adjacent end of the side rail. zontally disposed triangular flange 45. connecting at 4:6 with the sheet metal member 39, which flange forms a web for reinforcing the chair against the load imposed upon it by persons tilting back when sitting in the chair or dragging it over the carpet or floor. The member 39 provides a wing part 17 extending alongside the inner face of the adjacent end of the back rail-and this member also has a flange 47' extending rearwardly, turned over at its end at 4:8 and in.- serted within the mortise 16 in the, same manner in which the flange: 27 is inserted in the mortise 17; At the top member 39 has a triangular flange or web 49 which is turned over at its end at 51 and riveted to the member 38,.so thatthis flange also forms a rein place, screws 52' being forcing web when the parts are assembled. Theback brace is firstnfast'ened to the leg and the adjacent ends ofthev rail secured in positioned to lock the structure in. permanent connection. The metalportions 48 and 27 entering with the wood into the mortises reinforce the tenons tion parts thereof and t It also has a hori-,

- 1,346,955 r V a and form under certain aspects of the invenhe plate 42 extending across themortises and the flanges .25, 26 and 47 also serve to reinforce the mortises.

' It will benoted that these parts enter actuallyinto the connections between the adjacent faces of the rails and legs, and this without interrupting the directness of the connection between these several parts. If

desired lips 54clmay be provided toform seats. for the chair. bottom. f a theinvention and many It is thought that of its attendant advantages will be better understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changesmay be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely. a preferred embod Iclaim:' I V 1. An article of furniture comprising legs, rails connecting same and a corner; fastener engaging the two rails;.connected to a .leg' and entering into amortise and tenon engagement andhaving apart 'insertible laterally into the mortise.

2. An article of furniture comprising legs and rails connected thereto, said rails entering into closed mortises in said legs and fastening members engagingthe two rails connected toga leg and engaging said rails and entering into-saidv mortise and tenon' connection.

iment thereof.

and rails connecting the same, fastening members engaging the two rails connected to a leg and connected to one face of said rails and fastened to'said legs by fastening devices extending into the legs angularly' with respect to which and exciting a pulling strain, each fastening "device preventing splitting by the other. V

4. An article of furnitnrecomprising. legs and rails connected thereto and fastening devices connecting said rails andsaid legs, a fastening device beingsecured to exposed faces of the rails and having three fastening members extending 7 angularly disposed with respect to the othersi .1 f 5. An. article of furniturecomprisinglegs and rails connected thereto and fastening devices,'said fasteningdevices being securedto the faces of the rails and having inturned ends or flanges disposed between the contacting faces of the railsand legs, and fastening members extending through said into .a leg, and all and having ing members disposed through said parts or flanges and into said legs.

7. An article of furniture comprising legs, rails connected thereto by mortise and tenon joints and fastening devices secured to the faces of said rails and having a part extending through adjacent a mortise at one side screws whereby to permit the insertion of 20 said fastening devices drawing the material against splitting.

10. A brace for furniture comprising parts for fastening to furniture rails and parts adapted to enter between the connec- 25 tion of said rails with the leg, one of said parts being adapted to enter into a mortise and tenon connection and another extending between joined furniture part and about the tenon of another mortise and tenon con- 30 nection.

S1gned 1n the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST J. GUSTAFSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN C. CARPENTER, ETHEL WOOD. 

